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Tuesday, April 21, 2009

At Least My Heart Isn't Broken!

About two weeks ago, I was going to see a play in Little Havana, but when I got there, it had been cancelled. So instead, I joined some friends for dinner at Tap Tap, a great Haitian restaurant in South Beach.

Clearly, I wasn't supposed to be there, but we all know about these twists of fate. Two very odd things happened: one, I bumped into an old friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in years, yet I had dreamt about him the night before; and two, I slipped on some stairs, fell flat on my ass and broke my fibula, just above the ankle.

Now, before you say anything: one, I had just taken the first few sips of my mojito (amazingly, I did not spill a drop of my drink!); and two, throughout my life, I have danced ballet in pointe shoes, tangoed in ballroom heels, skated on ice and balanced on one leg in yoga poses -- a lot. Those ankles you see in the photo are very strong. My pride and joy. And basically, I popped out out of the womb wearing stilettos. So, this, my friends was a freak accident!

I walked on a swollen foot for four days thinking it was a mere sprain. I had complete mobility of the foot and leg, but it hurt to point and flex the foot. When I finally went to the doctor, I discovered this:

Lovely, huh? Now I'm supposed to wear a boot and walk on crutches for about eight weeks.

So obviously, I can't drive or get out as much as I normally do, which is really frustrating, considering that I am fully recovered from agoraphobia and need my dose of fresh air everyday.

Cabin fever is not the only annoying mental side effect of a broken leg bone. I'm going to go nuts having to refrain from full-body exercise, so I'm developing a Pilates and yoga routine to avoid developing full-out blogger butt, slouching posture and tight hamstrings -- all this without making my injury worse.

People tell me I'll get used to walking on crutches, but I don't know. After eight weeks, I'll be all lopsided and one leg will be weak while the other is strong. This type of movement can't be good for my spinal alignment. On the plus side, crutches force you to use your pecs, biceps and abdominals.

Alas ... some good shall come of this: expect a lot of writing here!

Does this affect my involvement with the Ford Fiesta movement? Actually, it doesn't! The show will go on. Stay tuned for a very exciting twist of ... drivers.

In the meantime, please enjoy this Qik live-streamed video featuring revelers at Tap Tap. A carnival-style event had taken place that night on the streets, with costumed folks singing and dancing.

About the Author

Award-Winning Writer and Multimedia Storyteller, Founder of HeartCamp. Travel, Food, Social Media, Sex, Nature, Culture, Pirates, Humor, Yoga, Kitchen Sink. Whatever tickles my fancy and other parts. I tell like it is. Learn more at Linkedin.
All posts under the Manola Blablablanik series, this blog's original nom de plume, are semi-fictional.